Kids diving in Cozumel?

[mstevens]

My 12 year-old is as good a diver as anyone could be with just 52 dives. I'm not going to wrap him up in bubble-wrap, but I'm not going to risk him, either. (See my thread http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=191975 for why). At 10, he was fine to dive with his instructor in low-current, shallow Bahamian waters. The only other divers on the boat were his mom and me. After he was certified, we continued to dive that way for some time. I would NOT have put him on a boat with other divers (for his safety, not their convenience) and I would NOT have taken him to Cozumel.

He did go to Cozumel at 11, but we didn't go to Punta Sur or any sites with particularly fast current or walls with deep dropoffs. We worked out each day's dives with the operator ahead of time, which meant we were on the boat with the other beginners. He held nobody back - he always surfaced with more air than anyone except the DM. He also rescued a turtle from being repeatedly kicked in the head by a woman with no buoyancy control, prevented the same woman from losing her reg when her loose tank band nearly dropped her tank from her BC, and calmly replaced his mask when she kicked it off. Twice. There are worse divers out there than some kids!

This year, we did go to Punta Sur. Michael swam easily through Garganta del Diablo without touching a thing, managed walls and currents with no depth change, and didn't hold anyone back. Some divers who'd come from Poland admitted at the end of the week that they'd been terribly disappointed to find him on the boat, but by the end of the week had totally forgotten he was just a kid.

 

[sddiver]

Just out of curiosity which dive operator were you with when you took your 12 year old through Devils Throat? I was under the impression that divers under 16 had depth limits tied to their certifications.

 

[Jackie]

I zm currently interning with an OW class. When I saw this mite of a child in the class, I thought it was a case of bad judgement on the part of the dad. As it turns out she is a natural in the water and outperforming some adults.
Of course care needs to be taken with a youngster but there are plently of adults that dive once a year on vacation that are also unprepared or overestimate their skills.
It is a matter of common sense on the part of the parent for an appropriate dive.
In addition to Chankunab, Villa Blanca use to have some nice shore dives.
A shallow afternoon boat dive could be another option.

 

[DandyDon]

Just out of curiosity which dive operator were you with when you took your 12 year old through Devils Throat? I was under the impression that divers under 16 had depth limits tied to their certifications.

 

[mstevens]

Just out of curiosity which dive operator were you with when you took your 12 year old through Devils Throat? I was under the impression that divers under 16 had depth limits tied to their certifications.

There are many different agencies with many different "limitations." As far as I know, practically all certifications from all agencies have recommended depth limits for divers of any age. For his agency, "Junior" certification is for those under 15 years and does "limit" his depth more than for non-Junior AOW divers.

Yes, the depths exceeded what the agency recommends for his certification. On the other hand, this has no legal force whatsoever. I think we can all agree that there are Open Water certified divers that have no business at all below 60 feet. I happen to believe that an Advanced Open Water certified diver my son's age, with his training and experience is safe to dive the Devil's Throat under eagle-eyed supervision from two parents with Master Diver certification and over a quarter-century's experience. If you read the thread to which I linked, you'll understand how much I wish to avoid putting him in harm's way.

I think my primary point is that while I'm probably at the "let 'em dive young" end of the spectrum, I still think 10 y/o is almost always too young to dive appropriately and safely in large groups or at most Cozumel dive sites. As DandyDon's post suggests, nearly all aspects of kids' diving have been hashed to death around here before.

This really isn't an operator issue. I think most in Cozumel would have taken my particular kid once they'd observed his diving on a few checkout dives (as was the case). Not all would have, but I predict that would be a small minority. Some operators clearly don't even care if a diver is certified at all, or even particularly competent.

 

[MakingBubbles]

I didn't really start this thread for it to become a referendum on kids diving (maybe I should have title the thread "Shallow diving in Cozumel" instead.) But since we're on the subject I'll throw in my 2 cents. I respect everyone's right to have an opinion, though mine may differ.

While I do agree that many children (and some adults) do not possess the skills and characteristics to be good divers, I disagree with a blanket statement that because they're children they cannot be good divers. I believe that everyone (adult or child) needs to be evaluated as an individual for their fitness for diving. "Fitness for diving" is not just physical, but also maturity, mental and situational awareness, ability to deal with problems calmly without panic, ability to control bouyancy, education, skills practice, etc.

Both of my children have been swimming since they were 2 years old (we have a pool), they have been on competitive swim teams, they've participated in PADI Seal Team since they were 8 and 9. They are very strong swimmers for their age. They've both been through the PADI course materials a few times (I make sure they watch the videos and we review the book material a least once per year) and they truly understand the concepts, not just some memorization to pass the test. They both have very good bouyancy control (as good or better than most adults I've dove with).

My 11-year old daughter got her Jr OW certification shortly after her 10th birthday. She scored over 95% on her written exam (including the dive table calculations). She had to complete all of the same skills assessments that adults have to, and she completed the skills tests with ease. Even so, we still practice skills in freshwater lakes and Florida springs periodically. In addition to a variety of shore dives, she has done numerous boat dives and even night dives. My daughter typically dives with a 50cf or 63cf (an 80cf is too large), and she has plenty of air left at the end of the dive even after everyone else except the DM surfaces. She is also an excellent buddy that is very aware of her surroundings. And even with all of that said, I still limit her depth to the recommended 40 feet because we're conservative and I want to make sure that she has a lot of experience before letting her go deeper. I will do the same with my son. I let them go at their own pace and comfort-level because I want them to enjoy diving. If they decided they don't want to dive or they only want a do a single dive rather than two, then that is what they do.

Which brings me back to my original question, "Are there any easy, shallow dives (<40 ft) in Coz that we can dive together?" Obviously, If we are going on a boat I am going to work with the dive op ahead of time to ensure that the dive conditions are appropriate and that we have a DM available to stay near us, even if I have to hire a private one.

Diveborg - I'm looking at Curacao (or Bonaire) also. I may go there in November but the cost for flights is quite high right now compared to Cozumel (we are also traveling with some non-divers). Do you have any recommendations for nice, but less expensive resorts?

Hillmorton - thanks for the tip on Chankanaab Park. I'll definitely check into this, at least for my wife and/or daughter.

scubawife - Good thought. I may look into hiring a private DM depending on where we dive.

Crazyduck - RIGHT ON! I had already picked the Occidental Allegro as my first choice. Thanks for the info and picture of it. It sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. The other resort I was looking at is El Cozumeleno Beach Resort. Have you heard anything good or bad about it? PM me if you don't want to comment in the forum.

Jackie - Thanks for the tip on Villa Blanca.

Anyone else have any other tips on easy and shallow diving locations?

Many thanks for all of the comments so far.

 

[DandyDon]

MakingBubbles, threads do have a tendency of drifting around original subjects here, altho we try to avoid complete hijacking. At times, I have monitored a thread I started and jumped in every few posts to try to keep it on track. In this thread, I think your questions were pretty well addressed before it got too carried away - hope so.

You may have missed my suggestion: Make sure the Op has some smaller tanks, as I doubt that your 10 yo dives with an 80. You sound like a very responsible parent and your kids do sound very accomplished - perhaps they're big for their ages, too?

Have a great trip...!

 

[MakingBubbles]

You may have missed my suggestion: Make sure the Op has some smaller tanks, as I doubt that your 10 yo dives with an 80. You sound like a very responsible parent and your kids do sound very accomplished - perhaps they're big for their ages, too?

Have a great trip...!

Thanks for the suggestion DandyDon. I did catch it and you're right...80's are too big for the kids. They typically dive with 50's or 63's. I'll make sure the dive op has these smaller tanks.

My daughter is about average size or maybe a little shorter than average, but very athletic. My son is taller than average (already taller than his sister who's a year older than him... She really likes that, NOT! ) But they are both excellent swimmers.

 

[Onecabernetnut]

We were in COZ this past February and my 12 year old son did his AOW dives while there. He is a very good diver/buddy and I really enjoy diving with him. He has better skills than some other divers I've been paired up with. I would however second the recommendation of hiring a private DM if you're going to COZ. Drift diving is different. Our dive op in COZ actually said it was mandatory due to his age, even after they certified him AOW. We didn't dive Devil's Throat but did make it to 80 feet at Santa Rosa and he was fine. As a parent, you are the best judge of the child's skill level. I would never put him in a situation I didn't think he could handle if trouble arose.

 

[diveborg]

Diveborg - I'm looking at Curacao (or Bonaire) also. I may go there in November but the cost for flights is quite high right now compared to Cozumel (we are also traveling with some non-divers). Do you have any recommendations for nice, but less expensive resorts?

I like the look of Sunset Waters. It is an AI and located fairly close to Habitat. Supposed to have a very good, fairly shallow house reef. Do the 2 tank morning boat dive, then unlimited shore diving the rest of the day/night.

scubawife - Good thought. I may look into hiring a private DM depending on where we dive.

Well, I'd definitely do it, at least for the first day's diving.

Crazyduck - RIGHT ON! I had already picked the Occidental Allegro as my first choice. Thanks for the info and picture of it. It sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. The other resort I was looking at is El Cozumeleno Beach Resort. Have you heard anything good or bad about it? PM me if you don't want to comment in the forum.

Allegro is probably a better choice than El Cozumeleno strictly from the diving stand point. To my knowledge, only 1, maybe 2, dive operators will pick up from the El Coz dock as it is too far North for most operators.

Jackie - Thanks for the tip on Villa Blanca.

Anyone else have any other tips on easy and shallow diving locations?

Caribe Blue is another choice.